Verified ‘Mendocino County’ California Cannabis Farms

Learn how to identify and buy authentic heritage cannabis with this three-part series listing the farms of the famed Emerald Triangle. Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties comprise the US’ number one cannabis production region, but the Triangle is roiling as it adapts to California legalization. To better compete in the free market, California farms have exclusive rights to market their county of origin — like “Mendocino” — and they’re listed with the state for the first time. Check it out.

Heritage for Sale

More and more consumers want to vote with their dollars for cannabis grown in America’s marijuana heartlands. Now, that’s easier than ever before.

Heritage farmers are facing steep price declines and massive new costs as a reward for inventing modern cannabis in the Triangle. Comprised of three main counties, Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity, the triangle has produced classics like OG Kush, Granddaddy Purple, and Trainwreck since the ‘80s.

Under California legalization Proposition 64, which passed in 2016, all commercial cannabis growers must be licensed and follow rules including not faking your county of origin. Only Mendocino County growers can use “Mendocino” in their names and packaging. Ditto for Humboldt, Trinity, and elsewhere.

To support the heartland of cannabis production, look for these farms on dispensary menus. This list comes from the California Department of Food Agriculture’s database of registered cannabis cultivators by county, including: Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity and Lake. We’ll update our heritage county farms list each quarter. *

(*Not all these growers can be found on shelves yet. They have to pass stringent Phase 2 pesticide and pathogen testing screening, among other hurdles.)

David Downs directs news and lifestyle coverage as the California Bureau Chief for Leafly.com. He's written for WIRED, Rolling Stone and Billboard, and is the former cannabis editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as the author of several cannabis books including 'Marijuana Harvest' by Ed Rosenthal and David Downs. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. TW: @davidrdowns | IG @daviddowns

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